Ohio State’s string of four straight Big Ten titles ended in 2021, but the Buckeyes appear poised to contend for another league crown this year. A loss to rival Michigan, OSU’s first loss to the Wolverines since 2011, prevented the Buckeyes from reaching the Big Ten title game. Ohio State regrouped with a 48-45 win over Utah in the Rose Bowl to finish 11-2, but the pinball-like final score still displayed the gaping holes on defense that plagued the Buckeyes throughout the 2021 season. As a result, OSU hired Oklahoma State coach Jim Knowles as its new defensive coordinator, paying him $1.9 million per year to fix a defense that finished ninth in the conference in points allowed (22.8 per game) and yards allowed (372.6 per game). Knowles will bring a 4-2-5 defensive alignment to Ohio State that led Oklahoma State to the fourth-best total defense in the country last…
Continue Reading: Countdown to Big Ten Media Days: Ohio State
